Folk Dance - Garba

Garba is a popular folk dance of Gujarat, held at the time of Navaratra. Garba actually refers to “Garbha deep” - an earthen pot with holes, in which a lamp is lit and women dance around it in circular movements with rhythmic clapping.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihoods Mission

National Rural Livelihoods Mission, renamed as Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana—National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) was launched in 2011. It seeks to reach out to 8-9 crore rural poor households and organize one woman member from each household into affinity based women SHGs and federations at village level and at higher levels. While doing so, DAY-NRLM ensures adequate coverage of vulnerable sections of the society such that 50 per cent of the beneficiaries are members of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, 15 per cent from minority groups and 3 per cent from persons with disability, while keeping in view the overall target of 100 per cent coverage of the rural poor households identified through Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) and through participatory processes of identification of poor households and approved by Gram Sabha.

The key components of DAY-NRLM include :

 (i) Promoting Institutions of Poor: Strong quality institutions of poor such as SHGs and their federations are set up on a priority basis. In addition to generic thrift and credit based community institutions and their federations, DAY-NRLM promotes specialized institutions like livelihood collectives, producers’ cooperatives/companies for livelihoods promotions. The institutions of poor empower their members and act as medium for transfer of knowledge and technology dissemination, and hubs of production, collectivization and trade;

(ii) Training, Capacity Building and Skill Building: Systematic and multi-pronged approach has been adopted for providing capacity building to SHGs, their federations, government functionaries, bankers, NGOs and other stakeholders. The capacity building is aimed at providing poor with the knowledge and skills to manage their institutions, link up with markets, manage their existing livelihoods and enhance their credit absorption capacity and credit worthiness. Focus is on developing and engaging community professionals and community resource persons (CRPs) in order to provide timely support and bring about reduction in poverty levels;

(iii) Community Investment Support Fund: Community Investment Support Fund is routed to SHGs through federations (primary and secondary level) to support development of suitable livelihoods of members and to initiate collective activities, wherever feasible. A part of the CIF is provided as Vulnerability Reduction Fund (VRF) for supporting the inclusion of very poor communities and making credit accessible to them with or without interest;

(iv) National Special Fund Support for Convergence under DAY-NRLP was provided to help states mainstream convergence as an effective method to reduce poverty and empower rural poor;

(v) Infrastructure Creation and Marketing Support: DAYNRLM ensures that infrastructure needs for major livelihoods activities of poor are met with. It also provides support for marketing to institutions of poor. The range of activities in marketing support include market research, market intelligence, technology extension, developing backward and forward linkages, building livelihoods collectives and supporting their business plans;

(vi) Sensitive Support Structures: DAY-NRLM has set up sensitive and dedicated support structures at the national, state, district and sub-district levels. These support structures are staffed with dedicated professionals;

(vii) Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP): MKSP is a sub-component of NRLM to meet the specific needs of women farmers and achieve socio-economic and technical empowerment of the rural women farmers, predominantly small and marginal farmers;

(viii) Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana: The Government of India has introduced a new sub-scheme under Deendayal Antyodaya YojanaNational Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) entitled “Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana” (AGEY) from the financial year 2017-18. The main objectives of AGEY are: to provide an alternative source of livelihoods to members of SHGs under DAY-NRLM by facilitating them to operate public transport services in backward rural areas, as identified by the states; to provide safe, affordable and community monitored rural transport services to connect remote villages with key services and amenities (including access to markets, education and health) for the overall economic development of the area by the supports available within the framework of DAY-NRLM